Date: 1944 Mar 06/06			A/C Type: B-24 H  Liberator		SN: 42-52450		Code:		A/C Nickname:
File: 450		Airforce: USAAF		Sqn/Unit: 458 BG - 754 BS			Mission/Raid: Genshagen S of Berlin
1	Pilot	2Lt. Beverly E. Ballard   POW					9	RWG	S/Sgt Ralph C. Kracker   POW
2	Co-pilot	2Lt. Harry S. Bengry Jr   KIA, buried Purmerend					10	TG	S/Sgt James N. Lewis     POW
3	Nav.	F/O Eugene J. Singer       POW					11
4	B	2Lt. Roland W. Johnson     POW					12
5	E	S/Sgt Edwin E. Sowles  KIA, buried P'rend					13
6	RO	S/Sgt James Nemeth   KIA, buried P'rend					14
7	BTG	S/Sgt Victor W. Krueger      evd.					15
8	LWG	S/Sgt Raymond D. Rice    POW					16
Over Berlin damaged by Flak, returned to UK in trouble. Seven crew parachuted out just before belly landing at Neck (west of Purmerend, Holland). The landing in a meadow went wrong, three crew were killed, mangled in the wreckage. They were buried in Purmerend. Six men became POW fast, one man (Victor Krueger) was successfully hidden by the resistance in Purmerend until end of the war.

Read whole story in our file on the Purmerend war graves: http://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/966.html

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Below is the inscription on the monument west of Purmerend. The B-24 is depicted silver (bare metal), but in reality the B-24 was still green (Olive drab) and had white circle + K on tail, which was the symbol for the 458 Bomb Group at that time.  

























































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